


Blue Cage

by Elenore



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Romance, random crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 13:16:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7106374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenore/pseuds/Elenore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With their triangle relationship comes to an end, Atem found himself trapped in another web, Kaiba-web. He is forced to remember that his and Seto's karma from their past life still run deep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yugioh © Takahashi Kazuki

Regained his name also unlocked his memory about the mystic spells he had learned, along with some of the more forbidden ones he was born with the knowledge of. Like he was the only Pharaoh ever knew the name of his Three Phantom Gods 3000 years ago, and the ultimate spell to seal himself along with Zorc the day he died. One of said forbidden spells enabled the caster to recreate and restore a human body (as a subconscious result of that, he arrogantly slept through all the Art of Healing lectures). He had recreated his own body and by his mercy, granted the Thief a vessel to once again walk among the livings. After all, his own name was that of a Creator God if it hadn't already given anyone the clue. To his annoyance, instead of latching onto Bakura Ryo like a lost puppy to atone for all the crimes he had put that poor soul through, the Thief tagged along wherever _he_ was despite his continuous reassurance that he wouldn't kill Bakura's body with just one certain word, no matter that possibility was simply the truth. Atem demonstrated once just to get the point through, that babysitting the Thief was too troublesome so if Bakura wanted to taste life longer, just behave himself. If Atem hadn't made sure Horakhty got Zorc down for several millennia more, he would consider a likelihood that the King of Thieves was still plotting against him somehow.

The first time Anzu forced Yuugi into a situation that had resulted in him was called out (once again by Yuugi's distress) to clean up her mess, was to see him. The second time, it was an innocent offer to refill everyone's drinks in the kitchen. Atem had asked Yuugi loudly if his Aibou would mind helping her with the tray, because he was too inebriated to stand on his own feet when the shorter one tried nudging him to go after her. Only Bakura the Thief King and Kaiba Seto caught on to his obvious lie but never called him out for it. If the group didn't know the Pharaoh Atem could drink wine like water because he had lived through traditional festivities all year round, being the King he was, then it was no one's problem that they were ignorant friends. Especially not the two silent males observing the living God shamelessly from where they stood in the shadow of their little corners.

It was their Christmas celebration. Atem knew at least three mistletoe hanging in the Kaiba Mansion's kitchen according to Mokuba's private information. He had extracted those little details earlier that day via three straight victories in a row of Capsule Monsters game against the still-sulking youngest Kaiba.

Now stood leaning on the frame of the open door leading to the balcony looking down at the garden below, one of many perfect positions to give him a good view at the kitchen area, Atem watched Yuugi blushed to the root of his hair in mortified when Anzu shyly pointed at the mistletoe above them. He averted his gaze to the gold vase behind Jounouchi's head on the other side of the room when he sensed Anzu was about to shift her line of sight in his direction. Her message had been clear, she wanted his answer before her holiday vacation ended and she had to go back to America for her dance school then, which he gave willingly when he manipulated Yuugi into helping her. There had been nothing between him and her since forever. 3000 years ago Teana was a friend to him, and that friendship wouldn't cross any line now with Anzu. Because he wanted the flushing male he had steered toward her, not the girl who now had a golden chance with said flushing male. A darker part of his mind whispered the reason she started looking at Yuugi in a new light was because of him, that she only chose Yuugi because the one she truly wanted to see was him, that she was just playing with Yuugi's feeling. It was quickly dismissed as it had come to his attention. Their feelings had always been there even before he appeared in the picture, he was only a push they needed to realize it for themselves.

Atem felt disappointed in himself. If he was still the same 'Living Horus' he used to be, he wouldn't step down so easily, not when he knew he always had a chance to win Yuugi. But then again, if the one Yuugi loved was not him, he would have let his Aibou go, too. Like now. The Pharaoh watched impassively until the chaste kiss was about to commence and turned around, walked out to the night that very next moment. On the way he shot Bakura a warning look when the Thief made to approach him. That would be enough to get the unwanted tail off his back for a while. Maybe he should have stayed just to witness Yuugi's lips whispering those three words to Anzu then, and made their relationship official. But Atem deemed this was as far as Yuugi's privacy he had violated tonight and left to collect himself enough so he could smile good naturally for his Aibou when he came back inside.

No wonder why Horakhty's Light could not reach Seto's heart. Atem hadn't a chance to taste that kind of forbidden fruit back then. The most he could do was breaking into Seto's consciousness long enough for Kisara's Light to reach his cousin.

And now the reincarnation of said cousin stood in the center of the long staircase led to the garden below as he was descending. It seemed his name did not only unlock his own memory, but also a certain someone's of him. He wondered which of their karma ran deeper, his or Seto's. This fool of a Rival had chased after Atem to his tomb, unearthed the Millennium Items that were all supposed to be buried with his departure to the Netherworld, became owner of the Eighth one and used it to reach his dimension, leaving his own Light, _Mokuba_ , behind. That was apparently a miscalculation of someone-up-there, because Mokuba was not enough to ground Kaiba Seto, unlike Kisara to Seto back then.

"Leaving without a goodbye… _again_?" Kaiba interrogated in a flat tone when Atem walked pass him.

Even if the King caught hint of something slightly out of character in the Kaiba Seto this world knew so well, he made no attempt to dwell into it. "I am not out of the vicinity yet, am I?" It was a practical fact, and originally he hadn't planned to leave.

"Yet." Kaiba repeated.

"What about you, out here instead of spending this supposedly special occasion with your family."

"I am _, Pharaoh._ "

It was the familiarity of Seto in the form of Kaiba Seto addressing him caused Atem to falter in his steps and ultimately halted him an arm reach away from the taller male. "Oh?" He managed before long, but they both knew it was already too late to cover his pause.

A commotion in the direction Atem had come from got their attention. Squeals from the girls and catcalls from the guys assaulted their eardrums. Collective choruses of congratulation almost draw out Jounouchi's loud laughter, all to Yuugi. For being the one supposedly used to merry events during his reign, Atem only sighed behind Kaiba's back and turned around. "I should go back inside," He stated with less than the enthusiasm he should show, a fact that he was not fully ready to face the inevitable.

The reluctant Pharaoh didn't get to move anywhere. Kaiba's hand touched the back of his neck and Atem was drawn toward the other male until their lips pressed almost tightly together. The King stared blankly at the mistletoe over their heads when Kaiba pulled back, even so they were close enough to breathe in each other's air.

"Frigg, Mother of Baldr who was the God of the Summer Sun," There was a pause, meaningfully, and the icy blue stare sharpened before Kaiba continued, "Feared for her son's life after seeing his dream of death, had made everything of earth and under it vowed to bring him no harm. Ironically something not from the earth and under it, a lowly aerial parasite without roots of its own, attaching itself into another tree and lived off its host, _the mistletoe_ , was too young and insignificant enough to be ignored, then made into an arrow tip by Loki, who in turn tricked Hodr the blind God of Winter into shooting it at Baldr's head, ultimately killed his own twin sibling with his own hands. Everything in Earth and Heaven wept, trying to bring the dead Sun back to life and finally, Frigg restored him. The tears she shed in mourning for her son turned into the berries on the mistletoe. In her joy Frigg, the Goddess of Love, kissed everyone who passed by the tree in which the same mistletoe was attached to." The brunet slightly shook his head in mocked dismay with small smirk, but condescending enough. "Who could have thought that Norse myth was adapted and turned into frolicking of idiots this day, originally was a story of Love that conquers Death."

Atem reminisced the smile on Kaiba's face when the other proudly walked in his throne room, having reached his realm of the dead after so many fail attempts. "Love that conquers Death?" The ancient monarch echoed. Reasoning came gathering in his mind but the situation suddenly became too bizarre for him to gather his sense. Did Kaiba drink the wrong brand of coffee today or worse, consume any sustain of Bakura's creation when he turned his back?

Kaiba took Atem's unresisting wrist and led them down to the garden with an idle pace. "Dated back to the ancient Druids, when enemies met under the mistletoe, both sides had to lay down their weapons in a truce until the next day. Because mistletoe was the symbol of peace and joy, a kiss under the mistletoe was the sign of friendship and good will."

"Friendship…" Atem would never dare to imagine a day that word left Kaiba's mouth without being part of an acidic statement.

They walked among various kinds of flowered fences strategically placed like a maze, toward a tall oak tree in the center where all routes of the florescent labyrinth ended. Shrubs of mistletoe hung heavily on the tree branches, enveloping a wide portion of the whole garden in darkness of the Christmas night.

"It is also believed to have mystical power to ward off evil spirits and brings good luck to the household," Kaiba inclined his head to look at his bemused companion standing beside him, and hid half of his smirk in the shadow when he challenged monotonously, "Which one are you taking my kiss as, Atem. A prayer to keep you safe from harm, a lasting friendship, or a token… of _love_?"

"I…" Atem swallowed the forming lump in his throat, fighting a twinge in his chest. There was a light, oddly familiar, in Kaiba's eyes that shouldn't be, because it was simply just… _impossible_.

Kaiba's fingers twitched before tightening around Atem's wrist, but the taller male stayed silent in waiting. At last the shorter of the two turned his gaze away, gave up on anymore talking from his part. Kaiba curled his forefinger under the tan chin, forced Atem to face him again. "Kiss me," He dared.

Crimson eyes widened then narrowed at the provocation glistering in the surprisingly calm Sapphires. The King raised his free hand to pull the pale one holding his chin away but made no move to order freedom for his still captivated wrist.

_Which one are you taking my kiss as._

He was not ready to give answer, neither was he ready to hear Kaiba's answer.

"You of all people know very well the meaning of _tradition_ , Atem."

"Do we have to best the other even in this farce?"

"We are not playing with each other's feelings in the game this time, Atem," Kaiba remarked nonchalantly, "Not _yet_. And anger can only help you run away so far from your _fear_ of your own answer."

" _What_ exactly, are you trying to prove?" Atem tried to stay composed rather than the outburst of denial tethering on surface, waiting for the chance just to prove Kaiba's point.

"That you are not as blind as I thought."

The Pharaoh almost raised his voice but he barely caught himself in time, _"Excuse me?"_

"There he is! Hey, it's two of them!" Bakura obnoxious voice interrupted before Kaiba could say anything. Atem resisted the urge to cover his wrist, more than conscious of the late December breeze as it started licking off the remnant of warmth Kaiba's fingers had left on his skin when the other withdrew his hand, at the same time Yuugi and others filled out on the balcony after the Thief spotted them.

"Is that a bunch of mistletoe?!" Jounouchi shrieked, helpfully pointed out much to Atem's charging.

"Am I supposed to applause a _bonkotsu_ for even knowing what they are?" Kaiba sneered alongside his snide remark and started walking back to the main hall through another route of the maze.

"What did you say, you bastard Kaiba!" Jounouchi shook a fist at the apathetic male, who at this point chose to ignore him and practically everyone else.

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba waved at his sibling, perching on the balustrade next to Yuugi, "It's time for presents!" The littlest Kaiba sported a pout when his sibling gave him that signature two-fingers salute and the brusque "Pass."

"So, did you kiss? I heard if someone doesn't get a kiss under the mistletoe then they won't get married!" Bakura grinned toothily at the Pharaoh.

Atem blinked, then tilted his head in confusion and whispered absentmindedly, "Really?" Crimson gaze idly turned toward the direction he last seen Kaiba's retreating back.

"Now then," Bakura appeared next to Atem, having jumped down from the balcony, his grin turned sly, "Do I get as many kisses as the mistletoe we are standing under?"

A royal eyebrow arched elegantly. Bakura was cornered into the tree trunk by a thunderous Guardian Priest Mahad pressing the glimmering wand none too gently at his throat.

"Be unwedded for the rest of your mortal life." Atem muttered under his breath before he used a simple teleportation spell to appear behind Yuugi, not feeling like walking upstairs. He was stopped in his track on his way to go inside when he felt a hesitant tug at the sleeve of his outer jacket wrapped around his shoulders. The Pharaoh glanced over his shoulder and frowned. Why Yuugi didn't call him instead? And why his Aibou looked down when there was obviously nothing interesting about the floor—his gaze narrowed upward in sudden realization.

Mistletoe.

Atem was at the beginning of annoyance and it was unintentional put on display by a long suffering sigh. He immediately regretted his reaction when Yuugi visibly flinched. Ignored the group watching them like hawks, the King gave full attention to his Aibou. "I feel mildly antagonized by the occasion," He told Yuugi softly as he leaned closer, "If you truly want to be with someone, why wait for traditions to come around instead of taking the chance when you still have it." Atem had meant to kiss Yuugi on the forehead, but the slightly shorter of the two looked up at the spoken words and got their mouths right into each other's.

"Something terribly cliché just happens to happen," Bakura commented offhandedly. Mahad whacked him where his skull was without taking his unblinking eyes off the scene. "I found this very unfair, you know? I only failed to take his throne and the world _twice_ and he didn't even kiss me better—" Bakura wisely closed his mouth when the wand pointed between his brows. _Tch_. No more magic sucked bad, bad, baaaaaad!

Atem pulled back, startled and looked to the side, giving in the urge to run his fingers in his hair. "I'm sorry about that, Aibou," He whispered audible enough for Yuugi's ears, lamenting their link through the Puzzle where their conversation had always been between themselves without anyone eavesdropping on them. Yuugi made a noise in his throat as he nodded. To the onlookers, he said, "I'll pass the present part. You all have fun."

"But!" The group started filling their protests. ("You have to see all the damn biiiiiiiig diamonds I robbed for you last night! Those are even more expensive than solid gold, you know!" Bakura howled over Mahad, cue the Priest slugged him in the face to silence him again.)

"I feel a little lightheaded, guess I drank more than I should so I'm going to rest for a bit and see you later," His gaze found the clock, Atem added, "Or when the sun is up." As an afterthought, he pointed at Bakura, jabbing, "Don't hesitate to order him around like your servant, after all he is a _slave_ ," The Pharaoh emphasized somewhat menacingly, brushed off the Thief's indignant scream of "What?!" with a bloody glare from the corner of his eyes before he was out of the room and closed the door behind him.

And walked right into Kaiba's steel chest.

The irritated ancient monarch took a step backward for the sake of his own personal bubble, or lacked thereof when Kaiba was concerned. He breathed out and pinched the bridge of his nose, no longer bothered to hide his irritation. "Tell me there is _not_ another mistletoe above my head."

"There is a mistletoe above our heads." Kaiba observed with unmasked amusement in his tone. The Lord and Master of the house tilted his head in the manner that candidly announced he was flat out enjoy this without the complement of his usual arrogant smirk, having traded its appearance for a lazy blink of the dark Sapphire eyes.

"You must be out to make me miserable like you have to put up with my friends in your own house," Atem groused, crossing his arms and glared at the blue eyes somehow looked like they were laughing at his expense.

"On contrary, I waited until Mokuba tried asking me for permission to invite them over, feigned disinterested and told him to do what he wanted. My purpose in letting them here and enduring their unwanted company… is because I know _you_ would come along." Blue eyes narrowed as their owner finished speaking.

The King frowned, "Why go to such length?"

"I don't want to look like I am eager."

"Someone doesn't see it?"

"I could care less about "someone" as long as _you_ don't see it." Now, Kaiba smirked, "So far everything is according to plan."

"You do realize you sound like a criminal?" It wasn't until Atem heard himself that he realized the ironic of his query. Under Yuugi's name, he used to be no better than a real one. That was the reason his tiny sardonic smile had a bitter edge. Also nothing went unnoticed by the only witness.

"I am merely stating a fact. All good things come to those who wait." Sapphire gaze flicked to the mistletoe and back at the absentminded monarch, secretly pleased that the attention was all on him again.

Crimson eyes widened in realization, no matter how ridiculous it was to him. This dimension-ranked number one suicidal idiot had been standing under a mistletoe waiting for him to walk into his… _traps(?)_ all this time?! No, there must be something else, there must be—"Some screws fell off your brain when I kicked you out of the land of the dead. This must be it. Yes, it _has_ to be." Atem ranted under his breath, trying to convince himself. If he chanted long enough, it would come true. Right now he was entirely willing to believe that far more realistic reason than the real truth.

Kaiba scoffed. "What is hard to believe?"

"Don't talk," Atem raised a hand and palmed his forehead with the other. "I am not ready to accept you are something else besides Blue-Eyes-White-Dragon-sexual yet. Right, you even created Solid Vision to advance a card game only to make Blue Eyes looks livelier than a piece of paper, and you still are. It is alright, you are still Blue-Eyes-White-Dragon-sexual. Good, that's good."

Kaiba stared at Atem in a sincere way that asked if the Pharaoh had turned into an idiot. "Do you remember somewhere up there," His forefinger pointed upward in the general direction of his satellites, "Is the supercomputer dedicates to housing all data-banks of this hologram I created, imitated a _certain someone_ based solely on my memory of _him_ down to the last bit of his personality and notable catchphrase?"

Atem was speechless to the point he could only gape at his supposed-to-be Blue-Eyes-White-Dragon-sexual Rival, no matter how unkingly that made him look like.

"I succeeded in most of what I have done, except forcing a breach in the pathway leading to the Land of the Dead. Whatever is being said about Duel Links, to me it is nothing more than a failure, but a fruitful one nonetheless." His smirk returned as a result of him knowing he had once again successfully riled the other.

Crimson eyes flashed angrily. The perplexed King had been busy forcing close a sudden connection between the living world and the dead out of nowhere, when he heard the cry of Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was reduced to dust as Atem watched impassively with a raised brow, wondering what the dragon was up to. Kisara had cheated Death once, certainly she knew not to push her luck with _Ma'at_ any further than she had already been. As if that had not been enough, to confuse Atem some more, he was greeted with the sight of Kaiba's soul nearly entered the realm it was not supposed to be the farther it was away from the body. In a moment of extreme aggravation when everything clicked, Atem felt no remorse as he casually dismissed the intruder with a wave of his hand before Kaiba dropped dead the instant his genius fool of a Rival passed the gate to his realm. The incensed King had stomped back with a moody huff, deducing no further investigation was necessary.

"You almost _died_!" Atem snapped.

Kaiba only blinked. "The keyword is 'almost'. I am still alive, as you see."

Glaring at the other male one last time, Atem turned away sharply to head in the direction of his guest room, throwing over his shoulder, "For someone who has a dear one to protect, you are terribly mistreating the life granted for you to work on it."

"I don't want to hear it from _you_ of all people."

The sudden venom in the cold harsh tone got Atem to look back, but he only caught a flash of white trench coat before his wrist was once again captured and none too gently he was dragged down the hall. The Eye of Anubis appeared on his forehead almost instantly in response to his fury at the ill-treatment, but as soon as he got out "Unhand me—" he was shoved into a dark room followed by the loud bang of door slamming shut and a click of lock being turned.

Kaiba stepped away from his captive and casually draped his trench coat on the backrest of a sofa on the other side across his king-size bed. "This is my room," Kaiba informed, sat down on the edge of the mattress and openly stared at his rigid guest who had not moving an inch since the moment he was thrown in a room that did not mean to be assigned to him. "No one, Mokuba includes, can get in this room without my voice command."

"Human technology is admirable, Kaiba, but," Atem smirked despite anxiety already eating him from the inside, "It has been proven too many times to be inefficient against wielders of Millennium Items."

"Try me." Kaiba gibed.

"Maha—!" Atem gasped. Pain shot through his entire body, the shock was enough to bring him to one knee. The second time he tried to focus on calling his Guardian Priest, his hands raised and gripped his head tightly, he felt like it was going to burst any second now.

Kaiba stood and advanced toward the King leisurely, explaining on the way, "You think I would ignore Marik Ishstar and Ishizu Ishstar's Battle City data, especially whenever their Millennium Items were out giving them advantages over others after my defeat at Pegasus's hands? Ah, since we have mentioned Pegasus, I also found something quite interesting in your duels against him and his friends during Duelist Kingdom. Thanks to that I conveniently developed a shockwave only effective against those of high level of consciousness, high enough to catch on to it. All it does is giving you a mild headache according to the amount of concentration you have demonstrated. Judging by your reaction, I guess this is as close as I can get to disarm your call for ancient power, for now."

"What are you trying to do?" Atem gritted through his teeth, glaring at the approaching male.

Kaiba crouched, leveling his eyes with Atem and lifted the tan chin with his thumb and index-finger, "Have you received information about the term _Stockholm Syndrome_ via Yuugi's knowledge of the modern world?"

"You—!" Before Atem could get out another word, Kaiba snapped his fingers and darkness clouded his vision.

"To protect someone dear to me, he has to be _here_ _with me…_ in the first place." Kaiba's lips brushed the unconscious King's temple before carrying his ancient royal bundle to the bed.

No one would interrupt him, as long they failed to tell the difference between hologram and the real thing. Or the chloroform should start doing its job by now. With their Creator God out of commission, no doubt both Mahad and Bakura were too weak to break free of the Electron Force Field he had created to disable creatures of same nature as them. Indeed, no one would interrupt him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is unexpected. All I can say is... one more chapter. The bunnies just don't want to leave me alone! AAAAARRRGGG!

Bakura clicked his tongue agitatedly, glanced sideway from the corner of his eyes to the crouching figure sharing his predicament. "Oi, if you are still alive say something, High Priest!"

Mahad snarled at his unlikely ally in response. All had been well one moment, but the next, when he realized too late that his Pharaoh was completely out of reach, both him and Bakura were individually trapped in an odd circle, which quickly multiplied the faster it rotated around itself, until they got forcibly housed in the center of the transparent orb.

This circular structure was created to strengthen itself by absorbing energy at the slightest of contact. He was summoned and bound to the living world by the King's _Ba_ , that amount of soul energy would make him an easy dinner for this thing. If he did so much as touching it, he would be reduced to particles, lost the only mean for physical interactions. A perfect trap to keep him in one place, unable to provide aid to his master should he be needed.

It had not stopped at that. Once he tried reaching out to his Pharaoh spiritually, a shockwave interrupted and almost split his head in half. It had been forever ago since the last time he experienced something akin to physical pain. Caught off-guarded, he almost got pulled back to the Netherworld in the process.

Something was at work in intervening any kind of contact with the King. " _Kaiba Seto_ ," The Guardian Priest hissed, eyes flashed with barely restrained hatred, "That treacherous man."

"Yeah yeah, tell me something I'm not aware of," Sneered Bakura, unfazed by the glare shooting his way. "As much as I hate to admit this. If I get out, chance is I will be scuffed not even after I get a glimpse of his ass since we were caught before I knew what happened. While you can't escape but you have better chance finding him as soon as you are free." The Thief stuck a pinky in his ear, pulled out and blew at his fingertip nonchalantly, muttering in disgust at his situation, "Now what?"

Mahad spared the Thief a deliberate look. Unlike him, Bakura was composed by his Pharaoh's will to create a human vessel for that hateful soul. The Thief was nothing more than a mortal he had once been, bound to the living by the body itself.

Bakura could escape, but not by himself. Mahad would have to shield the body with his energy so it would not be damaged while Bakura forced his way out, if the Thief was still as fast to escape as he once was. Nothing could eat too much and survive long, this trap should be the same. If he fed it to the point it could not contain the Pharaoh's energy anymore, it would self-destruct in the matter of time. That led to the second option.

Sacrificed Bakura.

Even if it was a mortal body, the way it had been created certainly not. That alone took a lot more vital force, enough for the creation to maintain itself on its own by feasting on various sources of energy as long as it desired to live, than to simply summon a creature from the Netherworld which could be easily dismissed at will. If the Guardian Priest was a temporary food serving on a silver platter, Bakura was a clueless walking prey, fresh and unexpectedly fat. Mahad could very easily throw Bakura at the trap and watched the Thief got devoured until not even charcoal remained. Two kinds of energy absorbing matter clashed together until they were completely drained and damaged beyond repair, leaving him then freely to walk away from them without much as wasting any more of his King's precious energy.

Kaiba Seto had known. He knew him too much, too well. He knew the grudge Mahad would forever harbor against the King of Thieves, who had cornered him into condemning himself for an eternity of never be accepted to the Afterlife, unexpectedly wounded his King deeply in the process for what he had done, for his sake. Mahad would never questioned his Pharaoh why the King would grant another chance at life to someone so unworthy, but he had no qualm in taking advantage of that very same living being if the situation called for it.

This reminded Mahad of the High Priest Seto and the reason he respected that man. His occasional ruthless calculations of human feelings. Seto had a terrifying understanding of them to precisely predict the way people emotions would change, how it would affect their course of action given circumstances and, used that to manipulate them to his will. He greatly respected Seto and utterly pity him, for that man must have experienced each and everything to the point he was essentially broken to know them thoroughly from the inside out. But how impossible that was, because Seto had a sheltered life even from when he was just a commoner before he set his foot inside the palace wall under High Priest Akhenaden's wings.

It suddenly made more sense to Mahad when seeing the two in a reverse point of view, that the High Priest Seto reminded him of… _Kaiba Seto_.

"Bakura," Mahad smirked in the shadow provided by the long side bangs framing his cheeks, gestured with his index and middle-finger at the Thief as if calling a pet, "Approach me as close as you can." How fortunate, manipulating object was not required that much concentration to even start causing his head any pain.

Now, what Kaiba Seto had prepared for him once Bakura was out of the picture.

* * *

"Your name is too powerful."

Atem gasped, his body arched in a futile attempt to escape the fingers solfly circling the small of his back. His temple pressed insistently against Kaiba's head, whose face buried in his neck, whose hot breaths caused goosebumps raised each time they fanned his skin, whose lips whispered purposefully along the sensitive path of his throat. He felt feverish, his own panting was deafening in his ears, in pace with the rapid beating of his heart. He bit harder on the back of his hand, long drawing his own blood from the wound inflicted by himself. But pain was nowhere compare to this… this kind of _heat_.

"I was almost at my defeat against the King of Duelists you left behind," Kaiba murmured, followed the pulsing trail upward to a tan ear, only paused to softly nip the lobe which also proved to be another sensitive spot. "But Yuugi is never counted. He is never you. He simply never starts to be enough for me. When I called _Yuugi_ , I only called _you_. You can never be replaced by him."

Crimson eyes opened slowly when he was no longer being pressed down by the hand around his shoulders. Kaiba unexpectedly went silent that Atem almost believed his Rival had fallen asleep if not for the continuous touch on his back simmered down to a thumb drawing senseless patterns. The King lifted his forehead from the pillow, having squashed it as deep as he could with a hand over his mouth, until he resorted to sinking his teeth into the appendage to block out the onslaughts of sensation by pain since the moment his mind came into focus. He had tried pushing the other away but his effort only resulted in him being flattened, more than he should have felt comfortable with, against the other male. He was alienated by this kind of touch. It was not something he could indulge in during his short reign even if he had found someone to share his bed. But knowing and experiencing it were two entirely different matters. This intimacy suffocated him. But when it stopped had left him with a sense of puzzlement in its wake.

Almost innocent in his curiosity, Atem braced himself shakily so he could lean up on his hands, one had been previously trapped between their chests in his earlier attempt to escape the embrace of his much physically stronger Rival. What Kaiba usually wore beneath his long trench coat was the kind of material so soft to the touch and way too thin, snuggling him like a second layer of skin that left nothing for imagination without. When Atem moved his palm up, had inevitably brushed over something tiny and hard at the same time, like a pebble—resulted in Kaiba inhaled sharply under him—and made him froze.

Atem was no innocence to be unaware of what he had just done. He reflexively reeled back as if he got burned, but the hand still around his shoulders knocked the remnant of air in his lungs out of the way and again, he was flushed against Kaiba. He shut his eyes tightly when the hand on his lower back ascended to his nape. Atem was unable to hide the shiver raking his spine, neither could he suppress a gasp when those fingers started wandering along the length of his right arm and finally, painstakingly covered his hand on Kaiba's chest, right above his heart. The same wildly beating heart.

"For that," Kaiba breathed in the King's ears, "I could have stopped being… _patient_ with you," He emphasized, all the more tightened his grip around the tense shoulders above him, despite Atem showed no further sign of resistance.

" _Why?_ " Demanded Atem. But he let out a strangle groan, buries his face in Kaiba's neck when the modern day version of his First Cousin raised one of his legs, which had been locking with his own all the while, stretching the Pharaoh further back, and further dwindled his chance to break free. If he still had a mind to remember, Atem should have been thankful that Kaiba had long removed all the straps and buckles attached to their attires beforehand. It was not going to be as pleasant with the way those accessories could imprint and scratch them in this position, clothed or not.

"The last thing I want," Kaiba laced their fingers, palming the back of Atem's hand on his chest, "Is you abandon this body of yours and create a new one after we are done here."

"Why am I not going to, with what you have already done to me?" Atem hissed, Crimson eyes flashed in defiance at the opposing amused Sapphires, which had darkened to that of the boundless ocean at night, shrouding unspoken and immeasurable dangers beneath the misleadingly calm surface.

There was a chuckle rumbling in Kaiba's chest, which caused Atem to try his hardest to ignore what it was awakening inside him. This was not how he supposed to feel toward someone… like _Kaiba_. This was not what he should feel for the man whose soul responded to him during Duelist Kingdom, when he faced against the puppet-user using said man's deck with enough fury to call forth a Game of Darkness; whose passion fueled his own and gave him his very own reason to defeat Pegasus that had nothing to do with rescuing Yuugi's grandfather; whose words jolted him out of his fear against Osiris; whose strength wrapped him in the first and second layer of protection all in one against Ra; whose unlikely friendship entrusted to him was so important, that he had shielded it to the best of his ability against Marik while Yuugi's soul was at stake; whose promise was mutually shared with him, only for him to break it before either of them was ready. This was not…

"You will not take my life first thing whenever you are free?"

Crimson eyes dilated at the question. With how far Kaiba had trespassed him to this point, certainly hatred should have consumed him by now. But, why his heart never felt any of that, why his ever presented voice of darkness never whispered such obvious suggestion in his mind, why… Atem shook his head, lips slightly parted in disbelief. It could only be his body was flawed, there was no other explanation to it. Even Gods made mistakes. _He_ made mistakes. Just as this body was a mistake. Something was created by himself to assist him could not end up working against him… _could it?_

His breath hitched in his throat when warm hand caressed his cheek. Thumb brushed his lower lip, a whimper almost escaped Atem when the aforementioned leg raised higher from its position in-between his, pushed him closer to Kaiba's face, anchored by that center place which had felt like the source of this heat still spreading everywhere in his body at the softest of touches. Those oddly familiar dark Sapphires observed him like that of the mystical predator materialization of this man's soul. 'No' and 'Don't' and 'Stop' were readily at the tip of his tongue in desperation for everything to be dismissed as a nightmare. But when he had the slightest chance to pour any of them out, Kaiba's lips closed over his and what leaked from the corner of his tightly shut eyes, was none other than his own _tears_.

_Yuugi…!_

A flash of his Aibou and Anzu under the mistletoe in the kitchen earlier flickered behind his fallen lids, brought forth a choking noise in the back of his throat that was swallowed by the male still kissing him. The poisonous aftertaste of that image was sucked out by the foreign appendage, it curled around and swirled under and danced away from here and there and played his own tongue in his mouth, and overwhelmed him with the almost sweetness that he was unable to return. His free hand, long found purchase on the broad shoulder and clutching it for dear life, now released its grip and hesitantly touched Kaiba on the cheek. Atem tried not to think of the velvety softness of that smoothly warm flesh and how pleasant it felt beneath his fingertips, still he was unable to resist moving his thumb a little. So much for trying to be ignorant. Kaiba flicked his tongue one last time and withdrew, but not before stealing a peck on the corner of the King's mouth with a barely there twitch in the corner of his mouth, which had been unmistakably the start of a smile. Atem leaned back, meeting no restriction as he did so. Kaiba relocated his hand from around Atem's shoulders to the small of his back to steady him from there.

The blue eyes widened and sharply narrowed in less than a heartbeat.

Atem soon found himself being pulled up again, meeting Kaiba eye to eye, then a thumb wiped clean the last trace of wetness on his cheek. He would have committed cowardice by turning away, if not for the silent warning message those nightly oceanic spheres preventing him from doing so. That he could run but unable to hide.

"Whose sake… did your tears shed for." Kaiba received nothing for his rhetorical question. He knew. For if his very self was the cause, Atem wouldn't guard his emotions behind a blank mask so adamantly right now. The King was holding himself up admirably even if he had allowed a momentary lapse of weakness on display. Yuugi might have been the cause, but _he_ was the one whose presence Atem had broken down in front of, _he_ was the only one ever privy to witness Atem in his most vulnerable split seconds, _he_ was also the sole one now held Atem's shattered pieces of his heart in his hands to be put back together, against its owner's will or not, and what else could best the fact that this heart was going to be all _his_ in the end!

Kaiba threaded his fingers in Atem's hair, angled the King's head to nip along his jawline, murmuring, "He can't make you feel like this."

"He can't," Atem lifted his Rival's face from the hollow of his neck and stared him down, "He will not force himself on me."

"Because he _loves_ you." Kaiba closed his eyes and tilted his head, nuzzling Atem's hand, lips brushing his palm. Pale lids opened and gleaming blues glanced at Atem from the corner of his eyes before their owner fully faced the King with a sinister smile. "Does he not?"

Crimson eyes narrowed at the condescending tone, Atem let his hand drop back to Kaiba's shoulder and curled it into fist. "You know nothing!" The Pharaoh hissed.

The corner of Kaiba's mouth curled up more in dark mirth, "About love?"

"About _Yuugi_." Atem corrected him.

"Of course I didn't," Kaiba drawled nonchalantly, "He used to be so transparent, until you. And since then the one I knew under his name from that moment… was _you_."

"It had already indicated that my chance to win against him was _zero_ , even before the Ceremonial Battle started," Atem smirked as he said it, leaned close enough to better enjoy the stricken surprise in the normally so icy blue eyes. "Do you know what it means?"

"That he is... a _murderer_."

Kaiba caught Atem's fist the instant before it struck his cheek, meeting the King's fury with his own. "Your personal angel is nothing—" He hissed, his fingers closed around the tan wrist and jerked sideway until both their wrestling hands were on the pillow beside his head, "—but the murderer who had killed my one and only Rival, who happens to also be the first and only person in my life offered to be _my_ _friend_ by forcing his friendship on _me_!"

Eyes widened, throat constricted painfully as if some invisible force was squeezing it, depraving his lungs of the much needed air, Atem had to look away. The earlier burst of rage also left him, leaving a sense of guilt in its wake.

"You destroyed what Gozaburo had taught me. You destroyed the meaning of my victory against that demon I once called "father". You destroyed everything I used to believe in. You defeated me with that thing you then offered me, what I had cast off long ago as weakness. You eliminated everything between you and your past for what you believed in and is that, _losing_ against Yuugi, your so called _future!_?" Kaiba snarled, spatting the last word like it was acid.

"You would want me keep lingering in this world like a restless apparition, parasitize Yuugi's life as if that is the right thing to do, forever hiding behind his name as his other self when I am a person of my own that Yuugi and my friends willingly risked their lives to get back what I had forgotten?" Atem whispered, tilting his head with a pain expression in contradiction to Kaiba's vicious outburst. "I can't do that to Yuugi, to those friends." _And to you_.

"Is it not the purpose of a vessel to begin with?" The taller male remarked uncaringly, using the unspoken to feign ignorance.

"You know well enough that he is never a vessel to me," Atem smiled. That was enough to silence further retorts from Kaiba for its finality where the King stood in the matter.

Kaiba closed his eyes with a sigh, "I couldn't find it… even when I knew there was fundamentally _nothing_ to be found."

"What?"

"Your sarcophagus."

Atem gasped scandalously, " _My_ — _!_ "

"There is nothing to prove your existence beside your _name_." Unreadable cloudy blue eyes revealed, trailing Atem's form. "The moment I saw your name, written in the kind of language I have no knowledge of, and felt it in my soul of how to read it, understand it, voice it, just like when Ishizu showed me that stone palette, had brought me to Egypt. But by that time, the door had already closed after you. You have no idea how much I desired to kill him the moment he emerged without you after your tomb collapsed. The reason I didn't was because I knew doing it would have meant… to _accept_." _That I have lost you._

Atem bowed his head, blonde bangs fell over what expression his eyes were betraying him. "Kaiba…"

"Are you also a believer of love is to let go, Atem?" Kaiba entwined their fingers on the pillow, all the more tightened their ever lacing hands above his heart, and looked at the King from the shadow of his thick bang. "Because if it is, then loving you… is the only thing I will _never_ do."

"I don't know what kind of love you are talking about," The King stated in a flat tone supposed to leave no hint to be deciphered. "I don't have an answer for your question."

" _Liar._ " Kaiba sneered, but he was silenced from making further remark by Atem putting a finger on his lips, having untangled their hands beside his head to do so.

"I had let go of too many beloved persons in my life that your question seems to lose its meaning on me." Crimson eyes revealed themselves, getting darker as time went by with the King's confession. "My Father, who died from grief of his own ignorance and what would then befall me as the result, crowned me King before my heart was ready for our Kingdom. Mahad, my dear childhood friend, the first of my High Priests to lose his life in our fight against Zorc. One after another who loved me more than their own life had sacrificed themselves to protect me while I hopelessly watched the chain of loss continued right before my eyes. My unlikely friend and rival, he who was in fact the last of my blood, _Seto_ , had abandoned my side and his duty for the woman he fell in love and thankfully, was spared from walking the same path as others and ultimately, bared his fangs at me.

"Love, as far as I am concerned, only ever fills me with _despair_. That was why I could not hear Horakhty cry out to me the first time, before I chose to seal myself along with Zorc. Her Light could not reach my heart, just like how it never reached Seto's, _twice_. I was _afraid_. What if his heart was going to be consumed by the pain of lost love, in turn again vulnerable against the darkness left behind by Zorc within the Millennium Items, which had once resulted in Akhenaden possessing Seto to make him rebel against me. That fear had been the last straw. I _doubted_ him. He must have also seen it in my eyes, that might just be the reason he begged me for death." Atem smirked, but when he tilted his head to take in Kaiba's face, his smile became wistful. "How could he… after everything and he wanted… to _run away_?"

The King shook his head when Kaiba made to open his mouth. "I would not give him what he wanted. If he wanted to die, I made him live. I forced my throne on him with my last breath, knowing the duty of a Pharaoh would ensure he never dared giving up his life. As last desperate attempt that man requested a Diaha with more than enough people to witness a High Priest went against their Pharaoh. He would have been certainly punished by death then, but unfortunate for him, I was _dying_. That man was unable to live with the crimes his Sire and in turn, himself, had committed after knowing I no longer trusted him. But I had not anticipated him to shatter it into the Millennium Puzzle afterward. My original body was sacrificed along with my name to complete the sealing spell, I had forgotten myself and no one would remember me because of that. It was the only way to prevent all attempts to revive Zorc should the Puzzle fall into the wrong hands. But in pieces, the Puzzle could only be solved by the hands of that only one person I chose. I felt like it was his way to atone, to protect me as he did before everything changed. But even that had not enough to quell my anger. I had already chosen to forget than forgive. Just like he had forgotten what he promised me. My wish that he had vowed to be the one granted it to me. He had forgotten… and _betrayed_ me!"

Blue eyes widened and Kaiba opened his mouth again. Only this time Atem covered it with his hand and leaned closer until their noses were hairbreadth away. "You see, Kaiba. It was easier for me to settle myself as _Another Yuugi_. Way easier to let myself just feel Yuugi's emotions and acted accordingly, than facing what I truly feel. But also by knowing Yuugi, I have learnt what I chose not to. I also used to believe kindness was weakness. I unconsciously _feared_ once I open myself up, someone would take advantage of it and betray me. For how brave and courageous everyone sang about me, in the end I am merely a coward afraid of love and want nothing to do with it. In the end, I am a selfish King," Atem stared at the wide blue eyes before him, a twisted smile on his lips. "Are you… satisfactorily _disappointed_ now?"

Kaiba pulled the hand over his mouth away, revealing his own smirk, then gave a low chuckle. Settled Atem's hand on his shoulder and moved his own casually to the King's back, he started, "Yet, you let yourself be indulged by Yuugi and learnt something more, only to be reminded of your very own, old self."

Atem frowned, confused, and wondering if he had overlooked something, something very crucial. _"What?"_

In lieu of elaborating, Kaiba closed his eyes and leaned back more into the pillow with an easy smile. "Atem, do you truly want to become a Pharaoh if you could choose not to?"

"I wasn't raised up to run away from what I am going to become. Ever since I chose Battle City, my mind stopped persuading me that I could be _just_ another Mutou Yuugi." Atem stated with a smirk, "I was born to be King."

"Do you _want_ it?" Kaiba pressed.

"It does not matter if I want it or not, Kaiba," Atem shook his head, "It is merely _what_ I am."

"Then _who_ are you." The blue eyes male demanded.

"Tell me," Atem humored him, "You seem to be in a talkative mood all of a sudden, about the past, no less."

"I am through," Kaiba said instead, "After all, the one who did betray you was _him_ , and I have nothing to do with it."

"You are interested in _our_ past more than you let on."

"Because it was, and just so to prove you are…" _Real_. Kaiba trailed off, but they both heard what was left unsaid. Truth to be told, this world did not suddenly know the true name of the Nameless Pharaoh. This world would never know the _Pharaoh_ _Atem_. Which was fine with Kaiba, he had had enough of sharing the Pharaoh. "You don't need them."

Atem was mildly unsettled by his Rival's mood swing. That, and some very perturbed statements should be fitted somewhere he had yet to figure out. "Kaiba?"

"You don't need to stand or sit on anything beneath me to steady yourself where you are."

"What are you—"

" _You_ made yourself the reason for me to chase after you with a burning desire to win, only to lose every single time unless Yuugi got in the way." Kaiba gritted his teeth in suppressed anger not only at the truth but having to say it. "And all you ever do is staying out of reach since forever." Atem averted his gaze, the guilt those Crimsons tried to hide away was still so evident that it almost extinguished Kaiba's rage. But the taller male was not done, "Have you been feeling _it_ under your hand since, Atem?"

The Pharaoh flinched visibly. His fingers jolted in Kaiba's steel hold. That still fast beating heart beneath his palm had been more than telling him something its owner was unable to convey by words. _You only need me, just as—!_

"You have to stop…" Atem's voice was hollow even in his own ears, carrying no conviction in each syllable.

"Only you have ever given me this feeling. Have you any idea how life was so boring after Gozaburo betrayed me?" Kissing the teeth mark on the back of Atem's hand soothingly, Kaiba continued with the same gentle tone belied the flecks of near madness dotting the edge of his irises. "I think I am a masochist to the feeling of near death experience every time our paths crossed. None of our games had ever been meaningless. You kept fighting me at every turn I took and trampled on everything I had believed in and built up for my previously ideal future. You _entice_ me to no end! If I had ever known letting you win would mean losing you once you got a hold of your past, I would have stood there watching Osiris crack your resolve, and then used Osiris and Obelisk and Ra to finish you off as the King I should have been by then, and forever destroy your dream of the past. Would you have rejected Yuugi then, hidden yourself back in the Millennium Puzzle, waiting for someone else to rescue you from your own prison?"

"Would you ever look at me again if I had lost?" Atem contradicted. His eyes shut tightly, shaking his head trying to swallow the lump forming in his throat until Kaiba stopped his motion with a hand cradled the back of his neck.

"I would then attain your forgotten memory, your power, your name," Kaiba purred in one tan ear, using Atem's wounded hand for leverage to pull the King impossibly closer. " _Yourself_."

"You don't know what you are saying!" The King thundered, tried yanking his hands free from the steel grip to no avail.

Kaiba simply applied more pressure in his hold, smiling eerily at the struggling lithe figure in his arms. "Is it not just you, who refuse to believe what I am saying, is that… all I want—"

"Stop!" Cried Atem, desperately.

"—is _you_."

Pupils dilated, Atem froze, a muffled noise escaped his lips before another kiss was forced on him. However unlike prior, this time it overwhelmed him with a sense of possessiveness that resulted in his loss of control and the raising of something he was entirely avoiding to acknowledge. He was near unconscious by the time Kaiba released him, even then, getting air back in his lungs proved to be far too difficult, and the dizziness afterward left him in a long daze. By the time he knew what happened next, there was not a single article of clothing separating them.

"Atem."

The King looked at his companion by guidance of the hand caressing his cheek, vaguely aware of the almost synchronizing rhythm of their heartbeats as he still lay on top of Kaiba, chest to chest. Something that he ever desperately wanted to never acknowledge, only to be reminded by it every waking moment in the presence of this man…

"I will not let anything else claim you," Kaiba murmured against the slightly part lips, "Ever… _again_."

_Selfishness._

"You had said we were not playing _yet_ ," Atem whispered, tilting his head to receive another kiss. "It is time you tell me the rule, Kaiba."

The penetration left Atem feel like he was being ripped in two like a punishment for his crime, while it gripped Kaiba with pleasure he would never allow himself to find in others, should there ever be one in existence that was _not Atem_.

"Rule is simple," Kaiba heaved, rag breaths fanned Atem's sweaty forehead, his limbs trapped the King like vines. "Tell me what you call this feeling."

They started moving. Atem's tears dried when the initial pain of lost innocence faded away along with his sense of the rights and wrongs, giving way for a new kind of wetness soaking his lashes as he soon demanded more when there was very little Kaiba could deny him at that point.

_Let's be selfish… together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, one more chapter. I hope you have enjoyed reading and see you next time,
> 
> Asuka K.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this story. Wow... I can't believe I actually did it!

Kaiba Seto used to think he didn't need anyone, even if there was Mokuba. But that very day, marked the first time he lost a game in his entire life, everything had changed. And his life kept changing since then. He had tried in futile to get rid of this attachment to a dead person. He could have done so, and in the end he refused to.

He used to think he didn't need anyone. And now, he believed he didn't need anyone… _but Atem_.

So easily overpowered if one knew how to weaken the almighty King. Kaiba kissed the long golden bangs, pushed them behind the tan ear and cupped the round cheek. Atem had been this young when the world lost him. So small. Almost fragile. But he had grown up to the point his true age was no longer that great of a matter in the eyes of those who sought his help and protection, and worshipped him.

Because they feared him.

And that very same fear had given birth to the love they showered him with.

And they forgot him in a heartbeat once he was no more.

 _Love._ Such a preposterous simple word. One time it covered this feeling, other times it covered something else. It jumped around between every emotion in order to make a name of its own, while never truly be just one particular thing to be able to stand alone by itself. It had a little of everything because it was originally empty. A bottomless hollow that was desperate to be filled by its hordes of starving preys. The kind of feeling that would leave one forever be incomplete without the presence of another.

_Does that mean he loves Atem?_

"Do I… _love you?_ " Kaiba whispered against the Pharaoh's lips before kissing him.

"I don't know," Atem answered when his Rival pulled back and opened his eyes, mildly surprised by the sudden question in his ears. He smiled a little mischievously, "What is love?"

The corner of Kaiba's mouth twitched upward, stating the obvious, "The things I have done... for _you_."

Atem tilted his head, blinked and he listed out some, "Human experience? Rules breaking? Kidnapping? Tormenting? Manipulating? Playing with Life and Death?"

"Precisely," Kaiba admitted with a straight face.

"And everything is _my_ fault?"

"It has nothing to do with you, but has everything to do with where _you_ live."

"I never believe I have to tell you this," Atem shook his head with an amused smile, "Letting you live is bad for the order of nature."

"Such high praise coming from you," Kaiba smoothly retorted.

"Idiot." Atem chuckled, but his smile dropped when he caught sight of the clock on the bedside table.

Kaiba noticed the change in demeanor and immediately called, "Ate—"

"Stay."

"What?"

The King looked back at his perplex Rival and smiled. "You saw how happy he was when seeing you returned. Stay with him, Mokuba needs you."

Kaiba closed his eyes and heaved a long sigh. "He will not be needing me forever."

"But he is still too young to be stripped off the last of his relative, not to mention his own sibling."

Kaiba smirked. "You are certainly one to talk about it."

Atem narrowed his eyes in displeasure. "And you find humor in it?"

"Are you proposing I can go anywhere I like once he has no more need of me?"

"Don't twist my words." Atem briefly glanced at the clock from the corner of his eyes again.

"Stop that." Kaiba hissed.

"No. You listen to me." Atem said urgently, " _Stay—!_ "

The clock chimed zero loudly from everywhere in the Kaiba Mansion.

But Kaiba had heard the cry of a Falcon over everything else.

* * *

Mahad was on one knee, bowing to the presence perch on Bakura's shoulder.

"Ouch! Ow! OOOOWWW!" The Thief shrieked noisily, "Can you not dig too many holes in my skin?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAARG! Now I swear you are going to hack off my arm! YEEEEEEEEOOOOOWWWWW!"

The Guardian Priest gritted his teeth, trying to stop himself from lashing out at the disrespect display of the imbecile. But he was secretly pleased when he caught a glimpse of sharp beak poking at Bakura's head while the fool was trying in vain to shield it.

_Raise, Mahad._

Mahad did as he was told telepathically, suddenly realized he was no longer in any kind of pain, and the trap had disappeared. He surveyed his surrounding, noting the obvious since his master appeared. _The miracle… is fading._ But when Mahad looked at Bakura's shoulder, he could only sigh dejectedly. Once again he was left alone with the Thief, who had been knocked down to land on his own back.

"HE SLAPS ME WITH HIS FLAPPING POMPON!" Bakura howled in indignant and immediately shut up when Mahad stabbed the end of his wand near his head while glaring down at him.

"Trust me, you owe him your own life, and not _just_ once or even twice. So if he wants you die, _you die_." Mahad warned, eyes flashing menacingly.

"Does it him want me to die and not _just_ you?" Bakura grinned challengingly.

Mahad smirked. "You don't want to test that theory, Thief."

"So you are still pissed about that time I see," Bakura scoffed, stood up and dusted his pants, wincing when the actions jolted his injured shoulder.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. The one who decided what to do that time," Mahad turned his back to Bakura, "was _me_."

"You wouldn't do the same as me if you came back to the Palace and realized it had been destroyed and your precious Pharaoh was cooked into some solid gold stuffs?!" Bakura spat behind the other male.

"No."

"You little shi—!" Bakura snarled, preparing to lunge at the more powerful being despite how foolish that was.

Eyes hid behind his front bang and smirk widened where Bakura couldn't see, Mahad continued, "I could have done… _worse_."

Bakura stopped himself in surprise. He looked up in time the Priest glanced over his shoulder.

"I would have condemned my life if only to forever curse each and every of those who had trespassed my Pharaoh to the eternity."

* * *

"ATEM!" Kaiba shouted, holding the King tightly when the body became transparent and slowly dissolved into golden dust.

"I don't know," The Pharaoh smiled like nothing happened, caressing Kaiba's cheek, "But I _ai_ —"

Kaiba gripped the emptiness where the previous weight had been cradled in his lap, shaking his head in denial, his mouth opened but no noise came out. Until he felt there was something in his hand.

The center piece of the Millennium Puzzle, which was also the only Millennium Item with the complete _Eye of Wdjat_.

Before it was snatched away by a shadow.

Kaiba immediately located the intruder and pointed the only thing his hand grabbed from under a pillow at it. Before he could pull the trigger however, it shrieked and flapped its wings powerfully, diving at him faster than the eyes could see. But instead of knocking the gun away from his hand, the Falcon only perched on it and stared at him in the eyes.

Animalistic Crimsons clashed with narrowed Sapphires.

The human one between the two had to blink, twice.

The Falcon tilted its head.

 _"Atem."_ Kaiba hissed.

The Falcon flew away. Before Kaiba could say anymore, Atem, in his royal attire, sat on the edge of the bed, back facing him.

"What do you think you are—!" Kaiba demanded angrily before he cut himself off when Atem shifted his head a little to look at the clock. Irritated all over again, Kaiba did the only thing he could, he looked at the clock too. Which turned out to be the right thing to do, because then he realized time had… _frozen_. It was just not because his clock was defected. Blue eyes quickly checked the stilled curtain that should be blowing by the December breeze now that the balcony doors were left wide open as the result of Atem's entrance, the mute sound of leaves in the garden below, the absence of gentle humming noises beneath his feet where hidden systems were at work to heat the tiles and keep the whole mansion at the right temperature. Everything had _stopped_. It dawned on Kaiba, this one was different.

This was Atem, King of the Netherworld. The one who no longer belonged to this world. Time he walked among the living would never be recorded… by _time_.

Atem raised the missing center piece he had reclaimed from Kaiba earlier and put it back to his Millennium Puzzle. That done, he glanced at Kaiba from the corner of his eyes and gave the other male a half-smile before he stood and walked away from the bed, heading for the balcony.

_"I won't stay."_

The three words were all it took to halt Atem in his track, but he kept his back to Kaiba.

"I have a reason to leave. _You_ have given it to me."

The King turned slightly to look over his shoulder, eyes narrowed and lips thinly pressed in an annoyed line downward.

Kaiba also stood and approached the other, still naked from the earlier activities. And just like that, he wrapped his arms around Atem from behind, angled his head, whispered in the King's ears, "I had promised you… to grant _your wish_."

Crimson eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously. Atem turned around, index and middle fingers pressed together and pointed at Kaiba's forehead before the other male could even do so much as blinking.

_… "You are unworthy!" … The Millennium Puzzle shattered…_

_… Running down the dungeon… "It was because of that woman!" …_

_… "You know nothing!" Screaming, ragged breathing and broken antiques …_

_… "What could a brat who is blissfully living like a King know about everything!" A yelling Kaiba, bound to the bed and glared around himself …_

_… "You don't even know what you have!" Hands moved away, came into focus and, caught a fallen, clear liquid …_

_… Grabbed a clueless sentry… "Where is he?!" … Akhenaden behind a pillar… murderous intention …_

_… "Name… no… Na-ma-e… you should know what I mean! What is it even pronounced here?! NAME! No. You hear me! What is it?!" … Shaking him frantically as he stared back, clueless of what was being spoken to him … "Ren! Yes. Ren! REN! No not me! What is YOUR REN?! YUUGI!" …_

_… "That wish, only I shall… grant it." Hand reached out toward him, everything became a distance that was getting ever greater, the ground in the shrine, the faraway voices of an apology was offered and forgiveness was given…_

_… "Wait for me, Yuugi. No, your name is_ … _Atem!_ " …

Eyes widened, Atem took a step backward, head turned slowly from side to side in disbelief. Before he could take another step, hands gripped his shoulders tightly and pulled him back to the embrace against his will, mindless of the Millennium Puzzle was painfully reminding its solid presence in between them.

Weaving his fingers in Atem's hair, Kaiba brushed his lips on the King's temple, murmuring, "There is nothing left to hinder me, not even _that woman_." Not minding how Atem suddenly tensed in his arms at the mention, the taller male continued, "She loved _him_ to the point she had been manipulating my life all along. If she loved me, she should have come to me, not watching me destroy others to get her, then went ahead and thought she had all the rights to decide what I can and cannot do. She tried turning me into the man she loved! She tried to control me! I have had enough of her and sent her back to that man _finally_. Do you know I had been so ecstatic? I woke up in my own body _smiling,_ that by getting rid of her, I see the more visible chance to reach you, knowing you are still _living somewhere!_ "

Hands stopped pushing Kaiba away and fell to his sides, Atem closed his eyes. _I know._

_Can you not see she only tried to protect you?_

_I am not that man, and I will never be._

"I am not going to _betray_ you." The vow was reinforced in fierceness, along with that promise from long ago had yet to be broken. Kaiba put a hand on Atem's cheek and lifted his face, until the haunting beloved, ethereal Crimsons stared back at him. "If Yuugi was born from your distrust of everyone but yourself," Kaiba dipped his head, pressed his lips against Atem's then pulled back and bumped their noses together. "Atem,"

"Wish… to _live_."

* * *

Kaiba smirked, "Have I learnt what you wanted… "father"?"

Gozaburo stood up from his chair and started laughing like a maniac, looking down at everyone presented in the meeting. The traitorous Board of Executives, Mokuba, _Seto_.

A collective noises of phone ringing resounded in the room, cut off the man's laughter but he was still beaming. Braced his hands on the conference table, Gozaburo slowly gave each person a sweeping glance, his grin widened, "Now, tell me, is any of you are still who you think you are of this company?"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"My shares!"

"What happened!?"

"Impossible!"

"This—!"

There were two knocks. It should have sounded innocently normal enough, if not for the seed of fear had already been embedded several moments ago.

Gozaburo smirked. The man leisurely sauntered toward the grand double-door, put his hand on the mineral handle and twisted it with a sound of finality and, swung the door open.

Followed by two tall bodyguards, one white long spiky hair and russet eyes, one smooth long dark brown hair and brown eyes, the lithe figure in the middle blinked. Bright crimson eyes took in the sight before him and zeroed in on the only chair had yet to turn around in his direction.

"From now on you all are removed from your positions in Kaiba Corporation. And meet my son, Kaiba Noah, who had bought all your stocks just _now_! Seto, do you think you can oust me?!"

"Yes." Kaiba answered, painstakingly turned his chair around until he faced the smirking newcomer. Crossed his legs at the knee, an elbow on the armrest and propping his chin on the back of his hand, he sneered, "Kaiba Noah? I can't believe you are still alive after giving him such… _disgusting_ name."

Before Gozaburo could utter his retort, his newly-introduced son took a step in Kaiba's direction, another, and another. Kaiba waved his hand dismissively when Mokura made to run in front of him and stood.

"Thank you, for providing him with the means to get rid of them. If they can betray you, certainly they can also betray _me_." Kaiba addressed the older man, but his eyes never left the only person in the room commanding every bit of his attention.

A now former-executive instantly protested, "Mr. Seto, what are you—"

"If you think you can convince him who is on my side and stranger to you in the first place, I think you have not learnt anything." Gozaburo's eyes narrowed.

" _Your side?_ " Kaiba repeated with a chuckle, "I think you never know a single thing about him. Starting with his… _name_."

The two bodyguards glanced upward, to the side, down the floor, and back. The white hair one even did so much as protruding his mouth in boredom, while the dark hair male poked his side discreetly in warning for his behavior with a chopstick.

Gozaburo grunted, eyes promised hell, "Is that all you want to say before you are removed?"

"And you, is that all you want to say before _you_ are removed?" Countered Kaiba.

"Seto, you—"

" _Quiet._ "

The voice had spoken evenly, but it sliced the tension between adoptive father and son and pressured them under a new. A single word gathered all eyes on the person three steps away from Kaiba.

"I am _bored_ ," The new Kaiba said, looking pointedly at the sixteen-year-old Kaiba, "Play with me."

Kaiba smirked, "My pleasure."

"WHEN DID HE KNOW HOW TO TALK?! HE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO! HE IS A MUTE AND DEAF!" Gozaburo thundered after getting over his initial astonishment, pointing wildly at the one he realized was no longer the same "Noah" he had known.

"Are you sure he's just not wanting to talk to you and listen to your old yapping?" The white hair bodyguard yawned.

"I have told you," Kaiba growled, "You know _nothing_ about him."

Crimson eyes blinked, their owner tilted his head. Golden bangs fell across his face, veiling half of his amused expression and adding a dangerous edge behind the shadow. "How about you?"

"Enough to know I always have you… on _my_ side." Kaiba stated confidently, glanced down at the necklace snuggly adorned the other male's throat, purposely showcasing by a selective open buttons of his burgundy dress shirt. A single gold threat holding the pendant with the Eye of Wdjat that looked like it was the centerpiece of a Puzzle.

"I—Impossible! I'd got him even before you came into the picture!" Gozaburo glowered, unable to comprehend the situation.

"On the contrary, I have him even before any of us was _born_." Kaiba smirked, briefly flickered his gaze to the dark hair bodyguard, who widened his eyes for an entirely different reason at his remark. "Even if I tell you, you won't believe me. Now let me ask you again," Kaiba turned to look at the man in the eyes, "Have I learnt what you wanted… _"father"_?"

* * *

_Letting you live… is bad._

Atem put his hand on the underside of his palm, elbow propped on the armrest of his throne, smiling as he watched his slumbering opponent on the other side of the table. Between them, the Quantum Cube pulsated from time to time.

"You are _dreaming_ ," Atem said to the silent male and closed his eyes, seemingly fell asleep at the same time his Millennium Puzzle was engulfed in a golden light.

* * *

"Can you keep a secret?" Atem asked as he sat down beside Kaiba on the sand, watching Mokuba terrorizing his playmates before dunking the long spiky hair one in the water.

"Depends," Kaiba leaned back on his hands and looked over at the male next to him, "If it is even a secret and if it is one worth keeping."

The King chuckled. "Secret of a God is always valuable, Kaiba."

Right then, a golden light shot down at Atem from above that immediately caused Kaiba to stand up abruptly with a name on the tip of his tongue in raising panic. It didn't help his peace of mind when time had stopped… _again_. " _A—!_ "

A finger was placed on his mouth to stop him from calling that name.

"Shh," Atem hushed him and looked down at the single gold piece.

It was slowly taking shape and when the light fade away, the complete Millennium Puzzle dangling from Atem's neck like a big solid gold Pendant.

"The God can be very selfish and utterly… _unfair_."

Kaiba didn't dare move his eyes away from the figure in front of him even when Mokuba's laughter started filling his ears again, or Bakura's indignant screeching, or Isono's fussing when Mokuba was knocked off his feet by a playful wave playing spooky on him from behind…

Atem raised a hand to caress Kaiba's cheek and leaned up on tiptoes, whispered against the other lips, "You are dreaming…"

Eyelids dropped when his lips touched Atem's, Kaiba wrapped his arms around the Pharaoh, shut out all other sounds but the King's steady heartbeats… and life pulsating in the warm body pressed against him.

_"… in the dream of God."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually this chapter 3 originally was the later half of chapter 2, but I realized it (the chapter 2) had got too long and hacked off a bit (but it was still long). The major things I had already stuffed in chapter 2 so in chapter 3 I only had to wrap it up, but when I read I again I feel like it created more problems.
> 
> That had ultimately resulted in a standalone companion one-shot of this story in the making! Σ(O_O;)
> 
> I would love to know your thought about the story.
> 
> See you around,
> 
> Asuka K.

**Author's Note:**

> Yugioh © Takahashi Kazuki


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